The Grapevine
by star-gazer1001
Summary: Clary Fray is a girl with a history. She is burdened with a secret she can never share and a past that she will always regret. Add an extremely hot boy, several slutty girls and a whole school of could be enemies, and you have a mix for disaster. In a world where gossip flies fast, how long will it be until Clary's secret is revealed and she is exposed for who she really is? R
1. Epilogue

**A/N Sorry this is a bit short but it is the epilogue. Hope you enjoy and that you keep reading. Reviews would be great. You know the drill, all rights to Cassie Clare etc. Read on**

_She was running, running through the maze of alleys and streets, trying to get away. Her feet pounded the sidewalk, merging and twinning with her pursuer's. The footsteps behind her were heavy and fast, and all too close. She rounded a corner onto a deserted street. The street lamps cast pools of light onto the concrete. She was in the middle of the road when she realised she could no longer hear her pursuer. She paused and looked around. He could be anywhere, hiding in any of the shadows, in any of the alleys, behind any of the boxes or trashcans. A rock was scattered across the ground, and she whirled to meet the sound. Another rock, this time in the opposite direction. She spun to meet it but just as she did, there was another sound. More rocks, more spots. She was spinning in place. **He was playing with her! Like a cat plays with a mouse**. Then he sprung. He shoved her to the ground with such force that all the air was knocked out of her. He kicked her viciously in the ribs, chest, stomach and head. He then pulled her up by the hair and pushed her against a wall. He punched her nose and mouth, causing blood to stream down her face. He laid terrible blow after terrible blow. She cried out in fear and pain. Then he pulled out a gun. She whimpered. As he put the gun to her head, she found herself possessed with the desire, no the need, to live. And as he moved to pull the trigger, she used all her strength to make one last desperate act. Caught unawares by her quick movement and burst of power, he had only a moment to register his surprise before he pulled the trigger and shot himself, clean through the eye._


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N Sorry this is alos short. Just trying to set everything up. Future chapters will be longer. Read and review**

The apartment was completely bare, devoid of any decoration. There was a kitchenette to her left with yellowed tiles and worn linoleum, a couch was shoved in one corner and a folding chair and table were crammed into the other. The carpet was grimy and the roof was a diseased pattern of mould and smoke stains, sickly yellow peeking through. It may have once been white. Repressing a shudder, she stepped in and closed the door behind her. She crossed the space- her cons sticking to the carpet- and went to explore the other two rooms. The bedroom was much the same, sickly and damp. And the bathroom… she took one step in and walked straight back out-enough said. But it was also all she could afford and therefore, home. She took a seat on the couch and was surprised to find it comfortable. Maybe she'd sleep here. She did.

The next morning she woke from a restless sleep and got ready for school. She wore dark skinny jeans, her green Converse and a grey hoodie. It was a pretty boring combination, but her choices were limited. She had few clothes and even less inspiration. She just didn't really care. She pulled her unruly hair into a low pony tail and slung her book bag over her shoulder.

All through the long walk to school, her dreams plagued her.

She was still caught up in her thoughts when she arrived at school. Students milled around the car park, smiling and chatting. She wanted to do nothing but leave, leave and never come back, but she knew she couldn't do that. This was her chance. She steeled herself and walked through the crowd towards the office. She ticked things off in her head. Get timetable, go to homeroom, suffer through classes, and go home. Easy. She greeted the woman at the reception. She had a sour face and thin lips.

"Umm. I'm Clary Fray."

The lady stared at her blankly.

"I'm new." She tried to clarify.

"And…" The sour faced woman asked.

"I need my timetable."

The lady rolled her eyes and sifted through the mounds of paper piling up on her desk, scowling the entire time. She handed the crumpled piece of paper to her and turned without a parting word. Clary sighed and walked away. _Not everyone will be like this._ The thought was only slightly comforting.

She walked to her first class with her head down and her shoulders hunched. This whole experience would be easier without anyone noticing her. She rounded a corner and walked straight into a wall. She swore and looked up, _what kind of hallway is three feet long_? Instead of a wall, she found herself looking into the eyes of one of the most beautiful guys she had ever seen. His eyes were like liquid gold, his face was a sculptors dream and one quick glance displayed a muscled physique. Then she moved her gaze down to his mouth. It was curled into an arrogant smirk. The first word that came to her mind was, _jerk_. Now that she looked at him as a whole, she could see it clearly. His very posture screamed arrogance. _Of course, nobody that good looking would be nice_. She knew this all before he even opened his mouth.

"You okay there Red? I know I'm hot, but there is no need to stare." He continued smirking but it was obvious that he was bored. Used to it. _Asshat_. She broke out of her stupor.

"I'm fine, just contemplating how to handle this. It's not often that you see someone as ugly as you."

"Ugly!?" He was shocked.

"Ugly on the inside, it radiates out." Clary pushed passed him and walked down the hall, trying to get to class as fast as she could. She speed walked down the corridor, easily dodging the few people still in the hallway. Clary nearly sprinted through the door. Everyone was already seated and looked up when she came in. _Why do they all have to look? Can't they just get on with whatever crap they are doing?_

The teacher greeted her as she walked in, "Oh, you must be Clarissa_, _I'm .There is a seating plan on the board." Clary just stood there. faced palmed and stomped one booted foot. _Strange person_. " I forgot. You don't know anyone. You sit there, next to Kaelie." She pointed at a girl with glossy hair and a cake face. She repressed her groan and went to sit next to the girl. She stuck up her little nose at Clary as soon as she sat and turned to gossip with the girl next to her. Clary rolled her eyes and waited for the teacher to continue. 100 minutes later and she was free. She was nearly bored out of her mind by the end of class. The whole time Kaelie whispered-loudly- to the girls around her. It was all, "Oh My God…did you hear about" and "Can you believe…". Clary was ready to rip her hair out.

After morning break, she headed to her next class, History. The teacher was handing out forms. "In a few days' time this, and two other classes, are heading on a field trip to see an exhibition on…" She zoned out. When he got to Clary, he stopped and looked at the role. He seemed to be multitasking, marking people off and handing out slips at the same time. He frowned at the role and slowly retracted the hand that offered her the form. He moved on. Clary could only guess what he saw. A big, black mark against her name, clearly advertising that she was different. And not in a good way. Clary just hoped that he didn't find out why, that no one did.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey, new chapter. Guess its a bit of a filler but everything will start to pick up soon. Thankyou you to everyone for your reviews, follows and favourites. Hope you enjoy and please review.**

_"Clarissa Fray, your case is an unusual one. Your record of events that night is…puzzling, to say the least. There is only one witness and they only saw the aftermath. And even your word is unreliable. Is it correct to say that you were under the influence of an illegal substance at the time of your attack?"_

_"Yes, Your Honour."_

_"And what substance was that?"_

_"Prescription pain killers. I had also been drinking." _

_"So the only reliable account of events was that of the witness. His record of events was that he heard a gunshot and came running. He arrived upon the scene to see you standing over the man's body, covered in blood. The weapon was lying nearby. That is the entirety of his account. It is not conclusive by any means. There is not enough evidence to charge you or acquit you. What do you plead?"_

* * *

Clary groaned as she awoke to the blaring of her alarm. She tried to turn it off but it continued its obnoxious beeping. She started slapping at it. More beeping. With a frustrated scream she picked it up and hurled it against the wall. It shattered on impact and sent a long crack up the plaster. _Oops_.

Clary rubbed her temples as she got out of bed. She had moved the bed into the living room last night after realising she could not sleep on her couch forever. She started moving faster. School was soon and she needed to get ready. It had so far been four days of anonymity, and she was hoping her luck would continue through today. It was Friday and the weekend awaited, a weekend for her to do whatever she wished. _Just one more day._ She had not been singled out since the first day she had arrived to school, nor had she seen the Golden Boy again. It had gone as well as she'd hoped.

That morning she went to school in a good mood. _One more day, one more day…_She chanted in her head. Then she stopped dead. She hadn't felt this happy... No scratch that, happy at all in more than 3 years. _3 years!_ The revelation shocked her. Her spirits dampened by the depressing thought, she walked into school as sullen as always. Her first class went without incident and she was feeling better by the time second period, and PE, rolled around. She changed into a pair of black running shorts and a grey tank top in the locker rooms and headed out to the track. It was obvious where the school's interests lay. There was a full size running track and to one side of that, a sports centre with 3 indoor basketball courts. To the left of the courts was a large grass area that was used for soccer and football. There were even individual stations for different track events. For a poor school, this was pretty grand. She compared the grandeur before her with the poorly lit, scantily stocked library and snorted. The coach called out to her, "Hey you. New girl, get over here." She jogged to reach the rest of the class.

"Okay, now that everyone is here we can get started. Today we will be practising cheerleading."

_Wait, what!? Since when had cheerleading become a sport? What the hell..._

"We will be doing a few lessons on it, due to popular demand. Guys will be brushing up on their football skills. Okay, girls. You head over there," she pointed to some senior in the distance, "Guys, you're with me on the field." Clary groaned, earning her scandalised looks from the other girls. She just ducked her head and slouched over to the random senior.

"Okay girls!" She said in an overly cheery voice, "Let's start by getting you all into height order." The girls shuffled around, bumping and giggling. Clary just went and stood at the end of the line. The girl started pointing, "You, you and you. You are going to be the flyers." She pointed to Clary and two other smaller girls.

_ARE YOU FRIGGIN INSANE! _Clary wanted to scream. No way was she doing this.

She continued, "You are the bases…"

After going through a couple of drills their **very** inexperienced 'coach' got them to get into groups. Two bases to each flyer.

"Okay, what you're going to do is I want the bases to support their flyer. Spotters be ready. Then I want you bases to propel your flyer into the air and catch them. Simple."

Clary was dubious. But not wanting to draw any more attention to her than necessary, she didn't make a fuss. She positioned herself correctly and waited to be tossed. She really didn't trust her group.

"One, two, three!" They threw her up, and missed. Badly. They must have guessed her to be heavier than she was, because they used way too much force in the toss. She went flying straight over their heads, hurtling straight towards a group of passing populars. They scattered, but one wasn't fast enough. She crashed into them, sending them both to the ground. She looked down to see who she had landed on, apologies on her lips, when she recognized him. It was Golden Boy. _Crap._

"We need to stop bumping into each other like this, you're starting to look a little desperate Ginger-beard." He smirked.

"Ginger-beard?"

She puzzled over this for a moment before realizing what he meant. Practically all her hair was lodged in her mouth, forming a flaming red beard. She tried to get it out as quickly as she could, but only succeeded in spraying spittle all over Golden Boy's face. He wrinkled his nose and wiped his face in disgust. Belatedly realising she was still on top of him, she rolled off. They had attracted a crowd. Mortified, she hurried towards the girl's locker room. It was empty. She sat herself down. _So much for flying under the radar._ She knew she would never hear the end of that nickname. And spitting in his face? That was disgusting for both of them. Her embarrassment was quickly morphing into anger. _What was his problem?_ Everything she had done up to this point was so that she wouldn't be noticed. Sliding into her seat when no one was looking, never raising her hand, staying solidly in the middle of the pack for **everything**. It all served a purpose. It all was wasted. She had been notorious in the past, and had paid dearly for it. She was not going to make the same mistake twice. And she was defiantly not going to let that boy get in the way of her second chance. He was going to get what he deserved; he was going to learn that you don't mess with Clarissa Fray.

**A/N By the way, I know nothing about cheerleading, I had to google what I put into this! No judging, if I stuffed it up.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was really unhappy with the last chapter, I hope this one is better. It's a flashback by the way. Please review!**

"But I wanna come." She sounded whiny and she knew it. She had to go, anything was better than going back into that house.

Jonathon looked down at Clary's pleading face, "I'm not going to stick with you, you'll be on your own." She nodded, sensing him crumbling. "They're not going to like you being there."

"They won't even see me." And she meant it. She was just over five feet tall and her brother towered over her.

He blew the air out of his cheeks and sighed. He'd caved. "You can come, but I don't want you standing near me. Don't talk to me, don't tell anyone I know you, nothing. Here," He shoved a couple of dollars into her hand, "When you want to leave, get a cab. I'm not driving you."

She nodded, more eagerly this time.

"Okay, come on."

She followed Jonathon to the side walk where his car was parked, and hopped in.

By the time they arrived, the party was already in full swing. She started to follow him inside but he stopped her, "Go in a couple of minutes after me."

After a few minutes she stepped in, and was immediately hit with the sound of blaring music. Inside, it was packed with people. They danced and drank, and she thought she saw a group in a corner passing around a joint. Weaving through the crowd, no one seemed to think her presence was unusual. Good. She walked by a table filled with drinks. She took one and found her way to a wall. She leant there a few minutes, sipping her drink. She didn't particularly care for the taste but, she was at a party after all. Might as well make the most of it. As she leant there, her mind wandered. It was good to be out of the house, away from her parents. She thought about all the times they had ignored her and her brother, as if they didn't exist, and was filled with frustration. Her thoughts were interrupted when someone stumbled back to where she was standing. The guy laughed and turned to her, clumsily offering her something. She looked at his outstretched hand and saw, held between two fingers, a joint. A few people around her were waiting expectantly for their turn. Couldn't hurt. She took the joint and holding it the same way the guy did it, took a deep inhale. She remembered seeing her brother smoking once or twice in the basement at home, and held her breath. It burned her nose and lungs and she let the breath out with a cough. She quickly passed it to the next person. She shook her head and went back to leaning against the wall. The joint came back around and, feeling obligated, took another hit. A few minutes later she felt it. Her heart sped up and everything around her became bright and super saturated. She giggled for no reason and stumbled away from the wall. The music seemed louder and clearer. The bass thrummed through her and soon she was dancing. She wove through the crowds, tripped, got up and danced some more. Somehow, she ended up outside. She laughed when she bumped into someone and fell. She grazed her knees on the pavement but before she could get up, started to retch. She puked up what seemed like all she had eaten for the past two days. Realising she should head home, she stumbled down the street. Little did she know, she was being followed.

She sang as she stumbled down the road. "Ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, a tissue, a tissue and we all fall down." She dropped onto her behind and tittered uncontrollably.

"Do you need any help?" A man stood above her, his hand outstretched. What a nice man. She failed to notice his dilated pupils or slightly off-kilter look, like he was somewhere else. She took his hand and stood.

"Than-"

Then he punched her. She fell back against the wall. Her slow mind took a few seconds to realise the danger, before instinct kicked in. She ran.

**A/N Ok, I hope this chapter was better than the last one. I changed the perscription pills thing to marijuana. Anyway, review.**


	5. Querie

**A/N Okay, I know its annoying when an author updates but doesn't post a new chapter, I personally hate it.**

**I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this story and I would like to know what you think. Should I or shouldn't I continue? Post a review or PM me to give me your answer.**

**If I get no answers I'll have to assume that I should't continue.**

**Thanks**

**star-gazer1001**


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